Island



j To all whom# may concern.'

\ "rHoMAsGoODRUM, OE PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.`

l vALvE roRsTEAM-ENGINES.

speqication af Letters Patent N9. 112,624.,` dated Aprile, 1855.

Be it known that I, THOMAS GOODRUM, of the "city, and` county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented an Improved Induction, and? Eduction Valve for Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the` same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thislspecication, in which- Figure 1, is a perspective view of the .valve, apart from its seat or casing. Fig. `2,

is a longitudinal section'of the same ap- `plied to a double cylinder steam engine.

Fig. 8, is a transverse section in the line m of Fig.1,and 4,.'a transverse section in the line y, y.`

Similar lettersof reference indicate cor- `c`respondingcpartsin the several figures.` x

` *It also consists `an appliance to the saidvalveto serve thepurpose of a variable i certainmanner of arrangingthe said valvey This invention consistsin a hollow cylindrical or conical valve of novel construction which receives acrotary motion corresponding with thatot the engine shaft and may control the induction and eduction of steam tol and from one, two ormore cylinders.

cut-OE, and `furthermore it consists in a whereby the'steam passagesleading from the valve to the cylinder or cylinders are i shortened to the greatest possible degree.

i To enable tho-se skilled in t-he art to make and use my invention I will proceed" to de scribe itsconstruction and operation:`

A, is the valve `casing oryseat consisting of a tube of about the same lengthiasthe engine cylinder, which is bored 1 out very slightly conical inorder to grindthe'valve in tight and allow the wear tov-be compensatedor. This casing isv arranged parallel with the cylinders B, B, and bolted securely thereto and has openings a, a, and a', a.,

` made in it at either end to match with the c steam ports b, b, b', b', at the ends of the cylinders.

c C is the valve which is fitted steam tightV to the casing and isbored out Jfrom end to, end cylindrically or slightlyconical and has journals c, 0, working through stutling boxes in the closed ends of the casing A.

It is intended to `have steam supplied constantly to its interior or from the vinduction pipe la, which enters the casing A, `at one end, and for that purpose openings l, Z, are

made in or near the end which is next the steam. pipe. It has near the ends but on opposite sldes two openings d, d, in the interior each extending nearly half around it, and being of such length as to cover the openings or ports cfa', in the casing. Opposite to the openings al, d, are twocavities e, e, which also extend nearly half way around the valve, corresponding exactly in that respect with the openings d, d', and

are unitedby a cavity f, which extends all the divisions z', i', and y', j', between the steam openings d, ai', and their correspond-jI ing exhaust openings; and the guards m, m, on the inner ends of the steam openings.

` `The cutoifconsists of a spindle n, with journals fitted to .turn` in bearings within thejournals. of the "valve, carrying two semcylindrical heads 0, o', itting to* the interior of the valve opposite to the steam openingsV 0l, d', the said heads carrying two platesp and p', which fit lengthwise to the openings d, d', andwhich fit t-o the interior ofthe valve casing B. AThe heads 0,` o', and their plates1p,`p", are capable, of contractingthe openings d, d', to any desired extentin a circular direction by being turned to a suitable position within the valve. The turning of the cut ois eiected by means of an endless screw g, of very quick pitch on theend of the spindle n, which projects through the journal c, of thevalve, and a nut r, which ts to the said screw but is prevented turning by pins s, s, or their `casing and the other figure its relation to the ports a', a', at the opposite end at the same time. The cut off is there supposed .to be adjusted to out off at about half stroke.

`equivalents connected with the valve. By i sliding this nut back or forth by means of- The right hand engine is supposed to be just passing the center the left hand one to be at half stroke. The valve makes one revolution in the direction of the arrows for every revolution of the engine shaft. The bearing 2', of the valve is just passing'the port a, of the right hand cylinder and commencing' to admit steam from the interior of the valve through the opening while the bearing g, is just opening the opposite port a', of the same cylinder to the exhaust. The port a, of the left hand cylinder which has been receiving steam is just being closed by the plate p, while the opposite port a, is full open to the exhaust cavity e. The ports if properly proportioned are opened wide for receiving steam and exhausting very early in the stroke and the exhaust re mains wide open till near the end of the stroke. The cut oil may take place very early in t-he stroke or steam be admit-ted during the full stroke by changing the position of the cut off. The variation of the cut ott' is illustrated by red outlines in Figs. 8 and l representing it set to cut olf later than it does in the position represented in black. If this valve and cut o is applied to a single cylinder no change of construction is required except that only one port a or af, will be required at each end of its casing. It will be readily understood that steam might be admitted yto three, four, or even more cylinders, by one valve with the cylinders arranged all round it; the only change in its construction being the provision of a proper number ofports in the casing A. The valve will work otherwise than parallel with the cylinders but the arrangement in that way shortens the passages and thus saves steam, and also makes the engine more compact than any other arrangement.

Instead of receiving steam through the valve and exhausting between the valve and casing steam might be admitted between the valve and casing and exhausted through the valve. This would not change the character of the invention; but perhaps it would not aiford quite as good facilities for the employment of a variable cut ofi".

I-Iaving thus fully described my invention I will proceed to state, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. Though I do not claim to be the iirst inventor of rotating tubular valves for the induction and eduction of the steam, I claim, the rotary tubular valve having openings and cavities arranged substantially as described to communicate with the induction and with one, two, or more openings or ports a, leading to one end and a corresponding number of ports a', leading to the opposite end of one, two, or more cylinders-whereby the same valve is enabled to control the induction and eduction of steam to both ends of one, two, or more cylinders.

2. I claim the variable cut off consistingr of two segments of cylinders 0, and 0, and plates 29, p, applied withinv the tubular valve substantially as described.

3. I claim arranging the valve casing and the tubular valve with the axis of the valve in line with the cylinder or cylinders as herein described so as to bring the valve into a equally convenient position relatively to two or more cylinders and enable the length of the passages leading from it to the cylinders to be reduced to the greatest possible degree.

THOS. GOODRUM.

Witnesses:

PETER H. CAMPBELL, HENRY SHEPHERD. 

